The Inside War
by FlareX3
Summary: Can four orphans avenge their parents against the most feared gang in all Corneria?


The Inside War

"I see your hundred and I'll raise you… another hundred chips!" A young dingo pushed forward a bag of potato chips.

"Whoa, to rich for my blood Jay." The wolf next to him laid down his cards. "I'm out."

"Aw, come on Bryce, you always do that." A wolverine next to him gave him a playful nudge.  
"Bryce is to serious all the time," said a chimp between mouthfuls of banana.

"Maybe, but at least I'm not stupid all the time Scott."

"I'm not stupid, I just know how to have fun, right Ben?" the chimp turned to his wolverine companion.

"Actually, you are kinda annoying."

"Aw, you guys are no fun," Scott replied, continuing to eat his banana. The four friends continued with their playful game of poker at one of the most dangerous bars in Corneria City, the AlphaOmega, looking like just another band of merry misfits to the rest of the customers. In truth, they were mercenaries, Jay Salandanan, Ben Sturges, Scott Mercado, and Bryce Novak. New to their profession the team was having a hard time finding a job. Everyone they offered their services to declined saying they were too inexperienced. Frustrated they decided to hang out at the nearest bar, which turned out to be one of the roughest places in Corneria.

"You do know you're supposed to use poker chips not potato chips right?" A large shadow fell across their table and the four friends turned towards the cause. A muscular bulldog loomed over them.

"Yeah, we know," replied Ben, "were just a bit hungry that's all." The bulldog gave a short laugh.

"You shouldn't be hanging 'round here." He pulled chair out from one of the nearby tables and sat down on it. "Chances are you'll find yourself face down in one of the nearby alleyways with either a knife in your back or a blaster hole in your head."

"Why? We don't have any money."

"Perhaps not, but not everyone does it for the money, some just for the heck of it."

"Yeah… we know… We can take care of ourselves ya know." Ben shot back with a grin, revealing two rows of razor sharp teeth. The bulldog merely shook his head at the seemingly arrogant comment. Suddenly Jay spoke up.

"Hey… sir, do you know where a couple of mercenaries can get a job around here?"

"You're a mercenary? You'd better go along and get kid, a mercenary life is to harsh for you."

"You don't even know us and yet you judge us." Bryce shook his head sadly.

"Well, if you're looking to throw away your lives, there's always the wanted posters."

"Huh?"

"You know, the wanted posters, where all them real dangerous scum get posted on the walls at the police station. Bring one of them down and earn a name for yourselves so you may get hired."

"That's a pretty good idea," said Scott tapping his chin, "yeah, thanks."

"Your life kid." At that the bulldog got up and ventured further into the bar, disappearing from sight.

"Well, are you guys up for it?" Jay asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Bryce replied calmly.

"I'm in." Ben said with a grin.

"If a volcano blows in the middle of the ocean in July and no one hears it, how much eggs do I get?"

"I'll take that as a yes."

When the foursome entered the police station, a few officers only occupied it. As they approached the counter, a hyena looked up from the newspaper he was reading. He spoke in a soft non-threatening voice, like how a father would talk to his young son.

"Can I help you boys with anything?"

"Yeah, uh… we were looking for the wanted posters." The policeman's eyes widened a bit but he soon regained his composure.

"Go home, don't bother to waste your life. You're family is probably worried sick about you" All four of them reacted differently to this, the phrase was spoken so much to them it felt almost like a cruel joke that everyone was playing on them, all of them ignorant of the truth. Jay closed his eyes, Ben shook his head with a scoff and a grin, Bryce gave a cheerless smile, and the seemingly always happy Scott with a hard stare, but all of them had their thoughts on what happened that day. The scene was playing in all their minds, the gangsters coming through the door of the restaurant, guns blazing on full-auto. They were indiscriminate on who they killed, just as long as they drew blood. Jay and his friends were at the playground further inside. They all heard the gunfire and fearfully ran to their parents only to find them dead, lying in a pool of their own blood. The killers left behind a parchment nailed onto one of the walls. The parchment had a black skull with a twisted manic grin with red eyes full of hate. That image was burned into their minds and it haunted their dreams and waking hours. They were only seven when it happened. With nowhere and unwilling to be taken to an orphanage the band of friends stuck together on the streets, surviving off the goodwill of others and their will to stay alive. Jay was the first to break the strange silence.

"We would love to go home, if there was any home to go to," his voice trailed off.

"Oh," the police officer said, "I'm sorry, there are orphanages for-" Ben cut him off.

"An orphanage?" he scoffed. "And you're the one telling us not to waste our lives." The officer considered this.

"All of you have a death wish?"

"No, we're not stupid."

"Then why are you choosing this path in life, surely you can do something, anything else?"

"Fighting's the only thing we've done since we hit the streets." Bryce said with a solemn tone.

"It takes more than street smarts, you do realize that. You need experience. All you seem to have is guts."

"Well then that's all we'll use," said Ben, pulling an old looking blaster from its holster. The others followed suit, pulling an assortment of old looking weapons from holsters and sheathes. Jay held his two most prized possessions on the planet in each hand; two battered looking blasters that had definitely seen better days. Scott an assortment of knives and throwing daggers while Bryce carried a badly patched up sniper rifle. Ben held a blaster in one arm and a rusty looking dirk in the other. To them their weapons were beautiful but to others it looked like a pile of junk.

"You'd be lucky if those weapons don't back fire on you."

"Trust me, they work." Ben said.

"Hey, officer, I gotta question."

"Yeah?"

"If you flew a plane in August with a fire raging in the sky would I get a pickle and cheese sandwich?" The officer gave Scott a look of confusion.

"Don't pay attention to him," Bryce said, "life on the streets robed him of his sanity."

"It robed Bryce of his humor too." Scott said sticking his tongue out at Bryce. The two looked like they would start another pointless argument so Jay stepped in.

"So, are you going to tell us where the wanted posters are or not?"

"Over by that wall, but before you go off, ask yourselves this, do you really want to do this?" The four pondered this for a moment.

"Yeah."

"Yes."

"Oh yeah."

"No duh, what were we just talking about?" The officer shook his head as the four moved towards the wanted posters.

"So… which weirdo do you wanna kill guys?" Scott asked cheerfully.

"Besides you? Well let me see…" Bryce said with a mocking grin.

"Seriously, we should start off with something simple."

"Like this?" Ben said holding up a poster. The poster contained a picture of a fierce looking hawk. Clearly stated in bold print a message said: Wanted, notorious thief and mass murderer, John Andriano is extremely dangerous and must be handled with the utmost caution. If you have any information on John Andriano please contact your local authorities.

"I said small Ben!"

"But look," Ben said pointing to the reward of his capture or death, "check out how much they'd pay us."

"Ben, you're the one who said you didn't have a death wish."

"And I don't, I have a money wish." A sharp intake of breath brought their attention to Bryce. While Ben and Jay had been arguing and Scott had been fooling around with a string on his shirt Bryce had been carefully scanning the wall for any possible targets. "Yo, Bryce, what's wrong?" Bryce pointed towards a poster on the wall. It had the picture of a monitor lizard, his eyes cold and emotionless. His description said: Vincent Counter is wanted for multiple offenses which include theft, smuggling, destruction of government property, assassination, mass murder, and leading rebellions against the Cornerian government. He and his gang are notorious for their terrorist attacks, if you have any ideas on his whereabouts please inform the nearest police station. His gang's symbol is the Black Skull. Following these words it showed a small picture of a black skull with a twisted grin and red hateful eyes. The same skull that still haunted the four friends.

"Good job Bryce," Ben said in a low tone, "you found our jackass." Bryce didn't say a word, either he had nothing to say or couldn't say it. Jay felt a mix of emotions, anger, fear, hate, all of these welled up inside of him.

"I say… go for it." Jay voiced his opinion even softer than Ben's remark. Bryce and Ben nodded and unison.

"Well," Ben said with a forced grin, "let's go get him." They turned to leave.

"Come on Scott," Bryce said, dragging their strange companion, who had no idea of who or what they were after, by the collar of his shirt, "We wouldn't want to leave you out of the fun."

"Gee, thanks Bryce."

The four headed back to the AlphaOmega. They needed a lead on their quarry and what better place then where most of the scum of the city hang out? They burst through the doors causing a great noise.

"We're looking for the members of the Black Skull!" yelled Jay. All the people in the bar turned to face them, on all of their faces was fear. When they caught sight of the four there was an awkward silence but was soon broken by a roaring laughter. The four could see it was the bulldog they had met earlier. Others soon followed suit and soon the entire bar was laughing and jeering at them.

"Hahahahaha… what're we laughing at?" asked Scott.

"Tell you later." Ben shot back. The bulldog walked up to them, tears streaming down his face from laughing.

"Oh man, you boys are either the dumbest fools this side of the Lylat system or you're the bravest, I'm guessing the first one." He chuckled at his own joke. "When I said make a name for yourselves I didn't mean an idiot's name. People would never hire anyone so reckless and arrogant."

"We're not arrogant nor are we reckless. We seek the Black Skull gang on private matters." Bryce said with a voice like ice.

"Then what? You gonna just somehow take down the most feared gang in all of Corneria? What will you use, pea shooters?" Like lightning Bryce pulled Ben's blaster out of its holster and pointed it squarely at the bulldog's forehead.

"We will use our courage." The bulldog looked like he was about to laugh again but caught sight of the murderous glint coming from Bryce's eyes. He raised his hands in submission. The laughter and jeering died down in the bar only to be replaced by murmurs and stares.

"Look, no need to get all touchy."

"Will you tell us where the Black Skull gang is hiding?"

"What makes you think I know?" Bryce fired a shot, missing the bulldog's head by mere inches. The heat from the blaster shot singing the fur on the right side of his face.

"I-I don't know!" Bryce's gaze hardened. "Really," the bulldog gulped, "I have no idea, none of us hear does. An-and even if we did, if we told you they'd come, they have eyes and ears all over Corneria. Go home boys, save yourselves the consequences of this fool's errand."

"Yeah Bryce," Scott spoke up, "what's so important about this gang anyway?" Bryce whirled on him.

"You stupid idiot! Can't you even use you own brain? The Black Skull gang, don't _black skulls _ring a bell?" Scott thought on this for a moment before sickening realization hit him. They were hunting what they had feared and hated all their lives. Scott just stood their with a dazed look, unable to take it all in at once. Ben and Jay exchanged looks, both knowing they should calm Bryce down before he hurts someone.

"Bryce, calm down. None of these people deserve this."

"Yeah man, cool it." Bryce turned on them. Both could see the hatred he had kept suppressed for so long, the longing to kill those who had caused him so much grief. For a second it looked like Bryce's temper was going to flare again, but just as quickly as it came it vanished, Bryce's calm personality reasserted itself.

"Sorry," he said with his head downcast. He turned to Scott, "Sorry Scott, I kinda, well…" he put his hand behind his head, "lost my temper."

"It's alright Bryce," Scott said with a cheery smile, "it's good to see you show some emotion once in awhile." The bulldog cleared his throat.

"Well, if you don't need me anymore… I'm just gonna go back to my seat and-"

"Wait!" Jay cried. The bulldog flinched and closed his eyes expecting to be shot. When the shot never came he opened his eyes. "Do you know anyone, anywhere that can help us?" Jay spoke with a pleading voice. Thoughts ran through the bulldog's mind, if he spoke now, he could put his life in jeopardy. He caught the look in Bryce's eyes; he saw for just a fraction of a second the strong desire to kill. It seemed like all of hell's fury was pent up inside the young wolf, and no way was the bulldog going to get in the way. Besides, he though optimistically, he knew most of the people in the bar and he felt secure enough that none of them were in league with the Black Skull, the young wolf was the closest threat now.

"I may know someone…"

Lawrence Bailey walked out of the AlphaOmega on unsteady limbs. He was partially drunk from his stay at the bar. Despite his drunken state he could not shake the face of the young wolf, Bryce they called him. He shook his head in a vain attempt to clear his head before resuming his trek homeward. He walked by an alleyway when suddenly a hand shot out from the darkness and soon he found himself in an uncomfortable position. A hand was clamped on his mouth while a knife was held a hairsbreadth away from his throat.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, little doggy speaks to much," a voice hissed, dripping with malice. Lawrence's eyes widened in horror, the Black Skull had found out. He struggled to speak, to explain, to try to bluff his way out of this. The hand of his capture only pressed harder. "Dead men tell no tales little puppy." With a spurt of blood from his ruined throat Lawrence Bailey died in the dark alleyway.

The four trudged along through a seemingly abandoned part of Corneria City. Ruins of households and warehouses could be seen as the first rays of the morning sun played across their structure. The bulldog had informed them of a rouge fox, a dealer in all manner of illegal items, that may know where to find their target. The fox had changed his name so many times that those few with closer ties other than dealer and customer knew him as Ice. They rounded a corner and headed into an alleyway. At its end stood a doorway, to a careless passerby the door was just another piece of scenery but upon closer inspection one could plainly see it was in much better condition than the buildings around it. Ben knocked on the door first. When no response came Ben yelled out a greeting.

"Hello, we know you're in their Ice." A shuffling from within signified that someone was indeed in there. A slit upon the door opened but the four could not see who stared out at them.

"Who told you that name?" a voiced hissed with a hint of suspicion.

"A friend of your, Lawrence Bailey." Ben replied.

"Ah, Lawrence, I thought he was dead. What do you want from me? Drugs, firearms perhaps?"

"We seek information," Bryce said.

"Information, drugs, firearms, no matter what you want it will cost you."

"We're willing to pay."

"Good." The door opened and the four walked inside. Once within the building the four could clearly see that Ice lived a very nice life. The room they were in was well lit, all sorts of gadgets that one could entertain themselves with lined the walls, a king sized bed stood at the far right corner, and numerous weapons were placed neatly within a cupboard with a clear view inside it. A doorway lead further into Ice's sanctuary but to this the friends paid no heed. "Well, what do you seek information on?" The four turned to the sound of the voice. They could clearly see why he went with the name Ice. Out of all of his characteristics one spoke out the most, his eyes. His eyes were a light color of blue with an unforgiving and merciless look to them.

"We wish to know where the Black Skull gang's hide out is." Bryce replied. A look of surprise came across Ice's face, but was soon replaced by a grin.

"_You _want to join them?" he asked.

"No, we're-"

"Bounty hunter? Mercenaries? It's all the same. Kids like you shouldn't be messing with such matters."

"Perhaps not," said Jay, "but we'll do it anyway. We're willing to pay all we have for that information." Jay tossed a bag to Ice. Ice opened the bag and quickly counted the sum.

"Do you take me for a fool? The amount of money here doesn't even cover a fraction of the price."

"It's all we have." Ice threw back the bag.

"And it's all you'll get." Jay sighed, he expected this much.

"You have two choices friend, take the money and tell us, or leave the money and we force it out of you." Ice smiled.

"You can try." Like a bullet Ice sped towards them, a dagger flashed in his hand. Scott intercepted the blow with his own dagger and with a right hook he felled Ice. Ice struggled to right himself but a foot pinned his chest to the ground. He stared up to see a barrel of a gun pointed down at his head.

"Okay, you gonna tell us now?" Ben asked, keeping the blaster steady. Ice grinned again.

"You've got style I'll give you that. Fine, I'll take the money."

"That's what we thought."

The darkness that seemed to close around them did nothing to heighten their spirits. As the four friends descended down deeper into the subway. Ice had given them his last known whereabouts of the Black Skull's headquarters. Under the city the Black Skull had taken control of an abandoned subway so as to be able to have access to all parts of the city quickly so they could spread their terror. Ice told them to count the signs they passed by. At the thirteenth sign was where they should be most cautious, for the Black Skull had placed their hideout only a few hundred yards further. Though the bright sun shone high above them there was little light in this area of the city and the darkness added an eerie feeling to their surroundings. Proceeding down a narrow subway walkway the friends continued along until Scott broke the silence.

"Can we eat?" Scott whined.

"Why?"

"Cause I'm hungry, duh!"

"Oh come on, you devoured ten bags of chips at the bar."

"That was hours ago."

"Hmmm… now that you mention it, I am kinda hungry." Jay voiced. With a sigh Bryce halted the party.

"Fine." The four dropped their packs onto the dusty platform and pulled out their meager rations. Each one chewing on a near tasteless sandwich designed for military campaigns. Though not the tastiest food out there, it was cheap and it was efficient.

"Look," Ben said, "I haven't slept in awhile. Wake me in… later." Jay shook his head as his friends plopped his head down onto his pack and fell fast asleep. Jay turned to Bryce who seemed all to eager to get moving.

"Relax Bryce, get some rest."

"I'd rather be moving."

"I know, but we can't afford being tired out there."

"Yeah… yeah you're right. I'll try Jay." With a small smile Bryce laid down and closed his eyes.

"And what about you?" Jay said, turning to Scott.

"I ain't sleepy."

"It's 'I am not sleepy.'"

"Okay, I'm bored." With a yawn Scott laid down and quickly fell asleep.

"Just for a few hours or so," Jay mumbled to himself before he too dozed off to sleep.

Bryce was first to awaken from his slumber. He checked around himself, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Who knows how many hours they had lost in sleep. Bryce quickly went about waking his comrades.

"C'mon, c'mon, up!" he said, kicking his friends lightly.

"Mommy, can I have five more minutes," Ben said.

"No, get up!" With a sigh Ben and Jay rose from their makeshift beds.

"Scott, Scott, time to go buddy." Jay said shaking the sleeping chimp softly.

"No," Scott said turning away from him. Jay sighed, thankfully he knew what to do.

"Spider." Scott woke with a start, screaming in panic. Jay quickly rushed in to secure their friend's mouth so as to keep him from revealing their presence. "Kidding, I was only kidding."

"Well that wasn't very nice."

"Shut up Scott. Okay, now that sleeping beauty has awakened let's get moving."

"But I'm hungry again." Bryce, now clearly agitated, threw Scott a sandwich.

"Eat while you walk.

"How many signs is that already," Bryce asked.

"Dunno, I wasn't counting."

"Twelve."

"Thanks Jay."

"Hey, how come you never say thanks to me?"

"Because you never do anything useful Scott.'

"Yeah, whatever." The four continued on in silence. Upon reaching the thirteenth sign the friends steps grew cautious. After a few minutes Bryce held up a hand to motion the team to a stop.

"What is it?"

"There." Bryce said, pointing into the darkness. Jay gazed towards where Bryce had pointed to.

"I don't see a thing."

"Right there," Bryce hissed. Jay squinted.

"What is that?"

"A target." Bryce said coldly. At this Bryce laid down his pack and took out his disassembled sniper rifle. With a quick efficiency Bryce put together his deadly weapon. The others followed the example and prepared their weapons. Bryce raised the sniper rifle and took aim with the scope.

"Wait," Jay said.

"What," Bryce asked back irritably.

"What if he's not part of the gang?"

"Quit worrying Jay, I can see their insignia through my scope. It's one of the bastards alright." Bryce aimed again. "Hey, just to let you guys know, there's two of 'em. I think I can take 'em both down in one shot, be ready if I miss." Jay already knew Bryce wouldn't miss. A bright streak of energy flared in the darkness as Bryce's sniper rifle bucked in his hands. They all heard two bodies fall, one just slightly before the other. Jay could see, just barely in the dimly lit chamber, a ghost of a smile flicker on Bryce's face before disappearing.

"Good shot Bryce." Ben said cheerily. "Now let's finish these damn gangsters off."

"Careful."

"Yeah, yeah, we know Jay." The four cautiously approached the fallen guards. They soon found out that they were guarding a doorway.

"Anyway to open it?" Jay asked.

"Here," exclaimed Ben, pointing to a panel. "This is where we must type in a code or something." Ben tried several combinations before giving up.

"Maybe this will help," said Bryce holding up a grenade.

"What? Where'd ya get that?" Bryce pointed to the fallen guards.

"In total I found two machine guns and six of these grenades."

"So who gets what?"

"I'm keeping my blaster and dirk. I don't need anything else."

"Geez Ben, sometimes I think you were dropped on your head or something."

"Whatever."

"Well Scott, do you want some?"

"I'll take the grenades." Bryce tossed him three.

"What about the rest of them."

"They're for the door. Here Jay," Bryce said, tossing Jay a well maintained machine gun. "You'll need that."

"Thanks Bryce." Without another word Bryce activated the three remaining grenades and placed them by the door.

"Move!" he said, but the others were way ahead of him already. With a flash like lightning and a sound like nearby thunder the door blew apart. Immediately an alarm went off from inside.

"Nice going Bryce, you just let everyone know we're here."

"Didn't see you object Scott."

"Look, no time for idle chit chat. Bryce head further back to the other side of the tunnel parallel to the door. Hide well in the shadows and give us supporting fire. Scott hide right next to the door and be ready to move at a moments notice. Ben and I will draw their fire, we'll rely on you to take out whatever we miss."

"How come I can't make a plan?"

"Well for one you can't even make a thought."

"Don't see you coming up with anything Bryce."

"Go!" The four quickly sprinted to their positions. Bryce concealing himself in shadow, sniper aimed directly at the doorway, Scott flattening himself against a blind spot by the door, and Ben and Jay standing directly in front of the doorway.

"You know," Ben said, "we can't fight off an entire gang.

"Yeah, but we'll try at least. Maybe we might win."

"You're delusional."

"And your Ben."

"Got that right." The sounds of shouts and footsteps drew closer. Suddenly a squad of gangsters rounded a corner and was right in the sights of Ben and Jay. The first volley of fire wiped out three and wounded another. The only uninjured one took aim only to find a beam of energy lance through his head by Bryce's sniper rifle. But this victory was short lived as more gangsters arrived. Now fully alert of a threat, they stayed hidden behind a corridor and started lobbing grenades.

"Jay we gotta move. It's only a matter of time before one of those hits us."

"Yeah, you're right." Suddenly Jay yelled. "Fall back, we can't take this!" Jay and Ben moved away from the door and hid next to Scott. "Okay buddy, you're up soon." The gangsters thought that their foes were in full retreat. They began rushing around the bend, intent on finishing the enemy off. Another bright streak of crimson fire hit one in the head. The gangsters staggered back, fearful of another onslaught, but the curses and beatings of a gang squad leader kept them moving forward. A gangster fell forward, a searing hole was all that remained of his chest. They burst from the doorway onto the subway platform. Scott moved like quicksilver, taking the gangsters by surprise. He weaved within their ranks, cutting throats and stabbing chests. Hacking and stabbing he cut a bloody swathe within the enemy ranks. Another sniper shot took down a gangster, lessening the already fading morale of the survivors. Ben and Jay burst from hiding, guns blazing. The remaining gangster turned to flee only to be mercilessly shot down.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Jay yelled. He coughed, the smoke from the guns choking his lungs. "I think," he gasped, "I think we got them."

"No way? That was all?" Ben asked with a quizzical look on his features. The smoke began to clear and they could finally make out the carnage they had caused. At least thirty bodies lay strewn about near the doorway. The corridor and a little bit further in was covered in blood. Bryce reappeared from the shadows.

"Something isn't right," he said. One of the fallen began to stir, it was a ferret by the looks of him. He coughed up a wad of his own blood as he let out a piteous moan. "Scott hand me your dagger,"

"Okay Bryce, but I don't see why?" the chimp said as he placed one of his bloody daggers in the wolf's outstretched paw. Bryce knelt down beside the ferret and grabbed the ferret roughly by the collar of his shirt.

"You see them?" Bryce asked indicating to the fallen bodies. "They died quickly, you won't." The ferret stared fearfully at him. He gave a whimper as Bryce raised the dagger.

"I-I won't talk," he said with more confidence than he felt. Bryce stabbed the dagger into his stomach. Tears welled in the ferret's eyes as Bryce drove the blade deeper.

"Okay!" he yelled. "Okay, I'll talk! Please," he sobbed, "just stop."

"Where's everyone else. I know there's more of you, there has to be."

"We're spread all over the city. We have at least several hideouts."

"Where's Vincent Counter then?" Already the ferret was weakening. His eyes dimmed and his breathing was less frequent. Bryce twisted the blade as an incentive.

"North from here," he gasped. "At the abandoned docks!"

"Where?"

"Dock 13." Bryce got up and turned to leave. "Wait," the ferret called after him. "It still hurts. Please just end it…" Bryce just kept on walking. As he passed by Jay could see that the anger was back in his eyes. Jay went to the dying ferret.

"You brought this on yourself you know."

"Please…please…"

"Don't worry, I'm not like you." Jay raised his blaster and squeezed the trigger. As they left the subway and entered into the light of the now setting sun Jay began thinking, were the becoming what they had hated and feared their entire life?

By the time they had reached the docks, the sun had set and dark clouds of rain had begun to blow in. The salty smell of the sea filled the nostrils of the four companions as they trudged along seeking their destination. The fight and the long trek here had taken a lot out of them so the party decided to rest behind the cover of a building. After finishing the meal the four began to prepare to move when Ben halted the procession.

"Wait."

"What is it?" Ben peered around the corner of the building they were passing by. "Yup, I was right, I did hear voices."

"What?" asked a confused Scott.

"I hear them now too," declared Bryce. And soon it became apparent to the rest of the company that there were indeed voices. Though Jay couldn't make out all the words, he knew he heard quite a few swear words, and either they had stumbled across some sailors at the 'abandoned' docks, or the more likely option, gangsters.

"How many Ben?"

"At least four patrolling the outer perimeter, and I'm sure I see a few patrolling in the upper story."

"Perfect."

"Givin' up hope to soon eh Jay?" asked Scott with a cheerful grin.

"Hey, Scott, do you think you can take those guards out?"

"Yup!"

"Will you?"

"What's the magic word?"

"Go!" said Bryce as he forcefully pushed Scott from their cover. Like a wraith, Scott moved through the shadows, unseen and unheard by the gangsters. He snuck up to one who had just turned a bend and had his back to him. With a quick move, he had stabbed him in the throat. One by one, the outer patrols fell to Scott's lethal blades. He returned to the party in high spirits.

"I counted six."

"Cool, six less to kill." Bryce said. "You are pretty useful after all Scott."

"What about the ones patrolling the upper stories?"

"Why don't we enter through the front gate?"

"I think they'd hear that."

"What then?"

"Hey, I think the guards are leaving their posts, it looks like they're switching shift," Ben said.

"Then we don't have much time before they find out about the others. Let's scale the wall."

"With what Bryce?"

"Those crates over there could lead us right through that window," said Bryce pointing to a large pile of old supply crates."

"Cool." As the friends began to move Scott asked, "Would anyone like a grenade?" He pulled out the remaining three grenades he had.

"Sure, I'll take one," Bryce said.

"Yeah me too."

"Keep it." Ben stated.

"Okay Ben." Scott tossed the other two to Bryce and Jay.

"Okay, we better get moving."

The four scaled the crates as silently as possible. When they reached the second story and peered through they were surprised to see that it was nearly abandoned. Roughly twenty gangsters surrounded what looked like a boiling pot of stew.

"Don't tell me that ferret tricked us."

"Don't think so Bryce, look." Jay pointed towards a doorway. "It could lead further in."

"How do we get passed these guys?" Ben asked.

"Like this." The gangsters were completely unaware of the danger they were in. Focused on getting their food they had not noticed the grenade arching overhead. It landed with a splash in the stew they were gathered around. It blew up a second later, sending a wave of fire over the huddled up gangsters. "Easy as the AF3s," Scott said. "Or was it the EFGs, the 2FCs?"

"The ABCs?"

"No, no, no, that's can't be right."

"You can't be right Scott. That grenade might have alerted the entire complex." In silence they waited for the inevitable attack, but it never came.

"Maybe this place isn't their main base?"

"Or maybe they're further inside." Bryce retorted, unwilling to let their search be swayed into a different direction so easily.

"Maybe."

"We should check." Seeing that his friends were still undecided Bryce continued, "If we leave and they _are_ here, then we may lose their trail. We've waited for a chance like this for years and now that it's here you're just willing to let it slip from your grasp?"

"Listen Bryce, we all want revenge, but being reckless may only deepen our problems."

"Jay, what is there to be reckless about? No one's here right now?"

"Or they're hiding, waiting for us to come."

"We would have heard their footsteps." The others still looked undecided so Bryce just went on in. He landed on a platform overhanging the floor below. To his right was a stairway that Bryce took eagerly. Bryce heard the footsteps of his companions behind him, they would never leave one of their own. Bryce wasn't worried, why should he be? The Black Skull was unaware of their presence and soon he will have his revenge. With those thoughts running through his head, Bryce lead the way into the passage. Unbeknownst to Bryce or the others for that matter, cameras were monitoring their every move.

Vincent Counter stared hard at the screens laid out before him. He watched with great interest at how the four entered with such boldness into _his_ layer. They must be really stupid or they really hate him he thought.

"Fredrik!" he cried. A wild cat strode up to him.

"Yes sir?"

"Gather what men are station here. Squash them."

"All men sir? Would that be necessary?"

"Better safe than sorry Fredrik."

"Of course." Having been in service of Vincent Counter for ten years of his life, Fredrik knew better than to get on his leader's bad side.

The four had checked every room they had come across and still no sign. They were approaching a branch in the corridor when an alarm sounded. Scott raised his hands.

"Hey, I didn't do it. I was watching where I was going."

"They know we're here. Scatter!" The four threw themselves into the nearest rooms they could get too. Bryce and Jay were in one room, Ben in one right across, and Scott at the very front most room. Hidden behind crates and what not, the friends crouched in anticipation. The sound of footsteps drifted to their ears. They could hear them becoming more cautious, more silent in their steps. It wasn't enough to save them as Jay sent his grenade through the open doorway. The gangsters saw it ricochet off a nearby wall and scrambled to get out of its way. Four weren't quick enough and caught the worst of the blast, two others were wounded. Suddenly Scott burst from hiding, his blades flashing. A dagger sped through the air, embedding itself in the throat of an iguana, another finding its mark in the head of an eagle. Scott slew three more without mercy before retreating into cover. When the gangsters consolidated and made to pursue, Ben burst out of hiding, his blaster spitting death into their ranks as he close the gap, his dirk gleaming with dark promise. He was closely followed by Jay with his two blasters, which gave sufficient supporting fire. Bryce held two machine guns in each hand, the other was lent to him by Jay, blazing away. The gangsters fired back though their shots were poorly aimed in their sheer panic. A lucky shot hit Jay in the shoulder and he fell to the floor, his right hand clutching it tightly, his eyes screwed shut in pain. Scott dragged him to safety while Ben and Bryce continued to rain devastation upon them. A gangster broke away and fled, others followed and soon only a handful was left fighting Bryce and Ben. Knowing that to survive they had to win, the gangsters did their best to get into an orderly formation to fire. Ben did his best not to give them that chance. His anger flared in his heart as he slew another one with a downward slice of his dirk. He fired three successive shots from his blaster into another. But despite the rage he fought with, and Bryce's continuous blasts of machine gun fire, superior number took their toll, they just couldn't kill all of them so soon. The gangsters were able to form up and with what little courage they had left fired. Ben wasn't quick enough. As he dived into the nearest room to avoid their fire, several blaster shots hit him in the leg, arm, and shoulder. Bryce could hear Ben's screams as the pain registered in his body. Bryce wanted to help but he couldn't, not yet, he had to finish this first. Only three left when the machine gun clicked empty. Bryce threw one of the machine guns with all his strength at them, hitting one square in the face. He brandished the other like a club as he charged them, closing the gap within seconds. Though they shot at him and Bryce felt the blaster shots skim past him, singing fur and flesh, he was to absorbed in the thought of killing them to care. With a mighty swing he smashed the skull in of one and with another swing, he crushed the windpipe of his last opponent before he collapsed on the floor exhausted. Scott once more appeared and dragged Bryce to cover as Ben limped slowly to where the others were.

"Everyone alright?" Jay asked.

"Nope, next dumb question," Ben replied through gritted teeth.

"I'm hurt, but I can still move I think," said Bryce, fingering an opened wound at his side. "Actually, this kinda hurts," he said with a grimace.

"I'm alright, didn't get hit once."

"You were hiding most of the time Scott."

"I actually killed a few without guns," Scott said sticking his tongue out at Bryce.

"_Few_ is the key word."

"Okay, we get the point. Look, I only have a wound in my left shoulder, it hurts but I can still shoot with the other hand. How 'bout you guys?"

"I can't be much of help anymore. Every movement I make is painful." Ben gasped out.

"Bryce how about you?"

"It hurts, but that's okay, I'll keep moving."

"Bryce, I don't want you to do anything reckless. We all-"

"Want revenge, yeah I know. How many times do I gotta tell you I understand!"

"Okay, okay. Scott, can you get Ben out of here, bring him to a hospital or something."

"Aw what? How come Bryce can't do that, or you?"

"Maybe because we have guns and you don't so we're better in this type of situation. Plus, you probably are the only one here capable of carrying Ben all that way."

"I'm not the heavy."

"Hush now little baby," Scott said as he threw Ben over his shoulders. Scott winced as Ben whacked him squarely behind the head. "Don't make me drop you."

"Don't make me kill you."

"Like to see you try in your state." The argument continued as the figures of Scott and Ben disappeared down the corridor towards the exit.

"Just you and me now Bryce." Jay turned only to find his companion was not beside him. He found him by the dead bodies, checking for any useful weapons. "Anything?" Jay asked.

"No, nothing useful. Mostly blasters, a few machine guns that look to battered now to be of much use."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, it looks like they didn't bring any heavy weapons."

"Well, yeah! In close quarter fighting heavy weapons could be the bane of both enemy and yourself." Bryce sighed.

"Well, that means were pretty bad off." He threw Jay his now bloody machine gun and three fresh clips. Jay dropped it quickly.

"That's okay, you can't keep it. Besides, I can't lift it very well with a wound like this."

"Suit yourself Jay." Bryce said, loading up his machine gun and jamming as much spare ammo as he could into his pack. "Which path?"

"Choose one."

"Okay. Ummm… that one." Bryce said pointing to the corridor on the right. "I think most of the gangsters fled that way."

"So do we split up and check the other corridor or what?"

"We could cover more ground… but seeing we're pretty beat up we should stick together."

"Good plan." The two headed off to the right.

Vincent was amazed at the fury the four fought with. Despite innumerable odds and superior firepower they fought without fear. What drove them? Were they so intent on a reward, perhaps they were used to this stuff. He thought back, replaying the scene from the screen through his mind. The way they fought, the way they moved and attacked, all of it seemed driven by emotion, the emotion of hate. He knew most of his gangsters were cowards, they could pick on unarmed civilians but against dedicated fighters they would break apart and fall. That was the Black Skull's flaw, their cowardice. Vincent reached for the com-link.

"Fredrik, you still alive."

"Yes sir,"

"Where are your men?"

"I have one-fourth of our garrison in the mess hall. We've done our best to fortify ourselves against an attack. We lost a little under half during the battle. The rest of our forces must be scattered all over the base."

"They're heading down the right corridor, towards the barracks. There's only two of them approaching and I want you and your men to ambush them at the blind spot at the end of Corridor C, just before they hit the barracks."

"Okay, we'll pack up and move out." Vincent leaned back in the chair he was in. Hate wasn't enough to get them through this, he was confidant the remaining two companions would fall. He made a mental note that he and his gang should start their terror strikes again so no more fools would dare raise a hand against them. A small smile creased his face, he would come out on top again.

"Damn, there are no maps around. How are we going to find the command center?"

"Maybe there isn't one, they could be scattered all over the base for all we know."

"C'mon Jay, let's take a break."

"In the open?"

"No one's coming, I can hear." They sat down in the corridor they were traveling in and took out their tasteless sandwiches again. "Cheers."

"Yeah right… Hey Bryce, what's that?" Jay asked pointing to what looked like a dark glass half globe. Though they could not see what was inside, Bryce was sure he knew what it was. "It doesn't look like a light."

"That's because it's the outer casing of a camera," Bryce said firing his machine gun into it. It shattered, raining sparks, glass, and metal fragments onto the floor. "They're more of them, further down and behind us too."

"Should we break 'em?"

"If it keeps our movements secret, yes. Let's break all the cameras in this corridor." The two began shooting down any camera within sight range before they resumed their meal.

"Bryce, they'll check here first."

"Yeah, but at least they don't know our exact location." The two continued the rest of their meal in silence.

"Fredrik."

"Yes sir?"

"They found out about the cameras."

"I was wondering what those noises were."

I can't warn you when they'll appear, you'll just have to listen carefully."

"Yes sir." Vincent switched of the com-link, these fools were becoming harder and harder to get rid of.

"What is it?"

"Listen," Bryce hissed back. The sound came again, the slight ruffling of a boot moving.

"Where's it coming from?" Bryce pointed to the end of the corridor. "What should we do? They're at a blind spot, we can't approach without being exposed to their guns."

"I could use my grenade." Bryce suggested. Jay looked up, a ventilation vent hung overhead.

"I have a better idea. Just talk like you're telling a story or something." Bryce nodded. "Here help me up." Bryce allowed Jay to clamber on his shoulders as he began to talk.

"Jay, did I ever tell you about my family."

No," Jay replied as he began unscrewing a bolt with his hand. "Tell me."

"Well, my mom and dad were…" Bryce prattled on and on, doing his best to buy Jay time. On the other side of the corridor, the gangsters restlessly waited, growing impatient. At length Jay finally was able to get the grate off. He slowly lowered it to the ground before turning to Bryce.

"Thanks, now let's get up there." As silently as they could, the two friends climbed into the grate.

"Something's wrong," Fredrik mumbled to himself. The talking just suddenly stopped, why? He could tell the men were uneasy too. They continually looked all around them, as if expecting them to pop out of the walls. Perhaps they found out, maybe they were running away like scared little children. That was the last thought Fredrik ever had as a bullet from above punctured his head. The battle was short lived as the confused gangsters fired wildly all around, killing and wounding their own as death continued to rain from above. Before they could understand what was happening, they were dead.

Vincent stared at the monitor. His entire garrison was being cut to shreds by two kids! He led the most feared gang in all of Corneria and yet two mere children shamed them in every way. He knew they would find him as he watched them continue down the corridor past the barracks, they were heading straight at him whether on purpose or mere coincidence. Vincent rose from his chair. He unsheathed a long, master crafted blade from the scabbard he wore at his side. It's blade gleaming coldly in the well-lit control room. He pulled a blaster from his holster and waited by the door. If they were coming for him, they will not find him easy prey.

"Bryce, we're gonna get lost if we don't leave a trail or something."

"Jay, I remember the path we took, don't worry."

"But-but, fine." The two were jogging along the corridor, searching for any signs of life. They had stumbled across two or three gangsters through their travels, drawn to the sounds of battle seeking to reinforce their comrades. They found only death as they stumbled across the two hell-bent hounds. Bryce stopped in front of a door and smashed the controls with his gun to open it. No sooner had the door lifted than a blade streaked from within. Thankfully Jay reacted swiftly enough to push Bryce out of the way. Despite his best effort, Jay did not escape harm as the blade sliced across his body. Even though the wound was shallow the pain was incredible, Jay couldn't help but scream out. Bryce hardly had anytime to ready himself as a huge monitor lizard charged from the room. Bryce raised his machine gun only to find it hacked in two by a lightning fast slice. Though the lizard was skilled he could not use the reach advantage of the sword this close. Bryce rammed his shoulder into the lizard slamming him against the wall and causing him to drop his sword. The lizard threw Bryce off of him and into the control room. Before Bryce could get up the lizard was upon him. They rolled over and over the floor, grappling for a chance to finish their opponent. Despite his years of experience in the street fighting the monitor's skill and strength was greater. Bryce found himself pinned to the floor with a blaster pointed at his head.

"You and your friends have caused me enough trouble. After I finish you I'll kill your friend over there and I'll hunt down the others. But I won't stop there, I will make all you hold dearly pay. You will wish you never crossed paths with me." The lizard spit at Bryce.

"You've already taken all we hold dear. We already wish we never crossed paths with you. The reason we're here is to avenge our parents and," Bryce said with a dark grin, "we did just that. Your gang is a bunch of filthy cowards!" Vincent struck him with the handle of his blaster, drawing blood.

"Are you really here to avenge your parents because you love them, or is it because you hate me?" Bryce pondered this. "That's what I thought."

"Maybe… maybe I did lose sight of why I fought, but that doesn't matter now."

"Yes, because you will die here."

"Yes, I will and you'll die as well." Bryce lifted his last grenade in front of the lizard's face. "You talk to much." Before Vincent could even turn away the grenade exploded, vaporizing him and the vengeful wolf.

Jay felt a huge wave of heat hit him. Flames licked at his fur but soon died out. Jay painfully got up onto his side but immediately wished he hadn't. The insides of the control room were just a blackened mess. The bodies of his enemy and his friend Bryce were just smoldering piles of ash. Jay wept bitterly, the Black Skull had claimed another one he held dear. Jay cried until he could cry no more. He did his best to get up onto his feet and slowly began to make his way out. Thankfully he met no resistance on the way. "At least," Jay thought, "Bryce can finally be at peace."

What Happened Next

Jay made it safely to the hospital and despite severe blood loss was able to make a full recovery. He was relieved to find that both Ben and Scott made it safely there too but all three mourned long for their fallen comrade. When they claimed that they had killed the Black Skull leader at the police station everyone laughed until they finally convinced them to come to Dock 13. There the police found all the evidence they needed to confirm the authenticity of the report. The Black Skull gang was demoralized by the loss of their leader and two head quarters and soon afterward was disbanded. The Black Skull faded from the world.


End file.
